It had only been two days but to Asad, they had felt like an eternity.

An eternity away from her.

His fingers almost felt jittery as he parked the car in the large parking space of Aashiq's mansion. There were two more cars already parked ahead of him which he easily recognized as Maahi's and Ali's while two more stood inside the open garage.

They all gathered for Jesima as she had finally made the move into this house with her daughter. His heart skipped a beat at the mention of her daughter.

The past few days when he was away for work, he had gone through an enormous series of new emotions, his thumb more often had lingered on one particular contact to contact, and many times he had direly desired to hit the call button to hear her voice.

To him she felt like a sickness crawling inside his heart, holding it captive. Infecting his brain cells. Malfunctioning his entire system with her thoughts and even though there were remedies available for the treatment of this disease, he didn't want to be cured.

Dying for her doesn't seem to be a bad idea.

Dying in the sickness of love was such a pride, wasn't it?

He shook his head, smiling to himself at his irrational thoughts then again, it was his first time too. First time feeling things differently around someone, for someone.

He felt as light as a beautiful red balloon, flying in the air-

His thoughts took an abrupt stop when he entered through the open doorway, a maid guided him to where his family and friends were. His eyes narrowed together to see all of them crouched near the entrance of the backyard, leaning on one another and looking the same way. His young cousins kneeled while his sisters and brothers stood beside each other.

"What's happening?" He asked but was at once shushed by Fathima, his eyes followed suit to where she was curiously gazing.

There in the backyard beside the pool sat Asma, the occupant of his heart, and Saad-

They both were so indulged in their own conversation that they didn't have a single clue of the crowd that had almost gathered around them in anticipation. Saad was wiping his eyes and grinning at her, What made him cry and laugh at the same time?

A movement near the bush caught his eye, he noticed Khadija slowly crawling towards the two.

His gaze once again traveled back to Asma and then to Saad, he could make out that he was asking her something and she chuckled in between her tears, shaking her head and replying to him.

Khadija didn't even go near them before she heard Asma's reply. The reply made her jump in happiness, "She said yes."

"Omg! She said yes!" Khadija shouted to the crowd once again, a few shrieks of joy followed her but Asad's eyes didn't waiver from Asma. She was shocked at the sudden intrusion as if she wasn't expecting that.

She sat frozen in her seat, as if she was clueless before she was engulfed in hugs by Shabna and Jesima-

As everyone around him moved in joy, he stood there witnessing the scene unfold before him. The exact scene that had stopped his world from moving.

Burst, the balloon in the air got pricked by a thorn.

He stood erect even though just a second before he was hit by a thunderstorm on a moonless night.

When everyone moved forward, he took steps backward. At first, they were gradual. Very slow. As he turned around, he took heavy steps to find the exit and once he was in the long alleyway, he started to run. The cold breeze of the early night hit through his face yet he couldn't care. His eyes started to rain instead of the sky. A storm stirred inside his soul. The raindrops were hot and salty, as bitter as his heart.

He didn't know how much distance he had covered but when he took an abrupt stop, panting for whiffs of air to placate his lungs, there was no measurement to the adrenaline that rushed through his veins. This time though, the veins didn't carry blood or oxygen.

They carried heartbreak.

No one knew Asad was out of the picture for over an hour and when he walked back inside the living room filled with charismatic banter and fairy lights, his posture was sullen.

"This is where she belongs, I told her the day we moved in," Jesima was saying, while her friends listened to her intently, even the men sat around in the large sofas indulged in their own banter while Kulsoom and Khadija were on the floor, sitting either side of someone in the wheelchair. Asad's heart didn't hold the courage to look above the wheels-

The girls gushed as Jesima continued, "Before I go, it was a dream for me to see her settled and I have shipped them since her birth. You all know that-"

"What's the reason though?" Sadaf asked as she emerged from the kitchen, holding a tray full of chai in cups. "Because I have witnessed you telling her all the time that she was meant for Saad."

When the thunder hits the sky, everyone hears but the breaking of a heart is silent while it's sound deafening.

"Saad's the reason she was born," the girls gasped audibly, "I am not elaborating how," Jesima shook her head.

"Jessie, it's not fair," someone groaned but Asad tuned the voices out as he couldn't take it anymore, his hand went inside his pocket to locate the car key. When his fingers grazed over a small familiar metallic plastic remote, he stood up. Not meeting anyone's eyes, he started for the door.

His footsteps were heavy, for he was suddenly forced to carry mountains of pain within a few seconds. He wasn't expecting to experience heartbreak this evening, he had worked continuously the whole day to complete his work so he could be free in the evening, free enough to spend time around her. He hadn't had a morsel of food for he had thought that meeting her would satisfy his hunger. These thoughts made his Adam's apple gobble up and down as his throat constricted-

He didn't realize he wasn't moving or when he had taken a stop in between the turmoil of his heart but when someone pulled on the fabric of his kurta from the back, he turned around in a jerk. "I have been calling you all this while-"

He lowered his eyes to meet Asma's evergreen ones.

"I am sorry-" his voice came out raspy.

"Are you alright? Why are your eyes so red?" She asked, her voice lacing with a care that constricted his heart even more.

He looked away from her, gulping down his emotions, and wiping his nose. "I.. Uh!" he stumbled on his words, "They are itching suddenly. I don't know why-" He was clearly not in a state to be around her rather than have a conversation with her.

But Asma didn't have a clue of how each word was a sharp prick to his soul, how with each step, his soul bled. "You should wash them. Shall I guide you to the washroom?"

Can you please let me delve into the pain you have caused me?

She didn't wait for him to answer, "Hold my handlebar, I will take you to the washroom," as she said, she turned around to show the backrest of her wheelchair which had two handlebars on each side.

"Hold it before the pain gets worse," she said as Asad stared at her back. You stab and you put balm on the wounds.

He rubbed his glazing eyes. "Asad," she called, turning around, "Don't rub them, they will itch more. You can close them for some relief-" Relief?

Is there any relief now?

You are not mine, Asma.

Tears leaked from his eyes without his control, "Ya Allah! Is it hurting very much?" she inquired in clear worry.

"It's worse than that," he worded out, closing his eyes and placing his hands on her handlebars, gripping them. As she moved, he blindly followed the path she took him.

When they reached the washroom before Asma could open her mouth, Asad opened his eyes to locate the door and he quickly got inside, closing the door. His hands then clutched the marble counter holding the wash basin for moral support as he let his heart cry its share. He then turned on the faucet to muffle his sobs.

No matter how much he cried, it didn't feel enough. For the stab of the wound of his heart was still fresh and deep. He splashed water on his face several times, to wash away the hurt that ripped his soul yet the hurt didn't let go.

Defeated, he opened the washroom door to see Asma rooted in the spot he left her. "How are you feeling?" she immediately asked.

"Not good," he replied. "I will leave now."

"Are you sure?" she wheeled herself toward him, "You can stay here if you want."

Asad quickly shook his head, "Some other time maybe."

Asma pursed her lips and slowly nodded. He was about to walk away when she called his name, he stopped in his tracks, turning to her. "I wanted to tell you something, Asad-"

His eyebrows quivered. Tell me that you also love me, please.

"But it's okay, some other time maybe," she replied dully, repeating his words.

The dull echo of her voice resonated in a different way in the four chambers of the organ that pumped emotions, even after he left.

I will reciprocate your feelings but some other time, maybe.

Don't!

Please don't kill me.